| History of the Tibetan Terrier For centuries, the Tibetan Terrier has been known as a good luck charm; but as the breed becomes more common, it can readily be found in popular dog sports today, such as obedience, agility, and conformation. The history of the Tibetan Terrier is quite a fascinating story. The breed started out as a symbol of good luck. These dogs were referred to as “Little People” by the monks who originally raised them. These “Holy Dogs” were used as guard dogs because they were so treasured that it was believed no one would harm them. Their bark would sound an alarm, and the much larger Tibetan Mastiffs would be let out to take care of the intruders. These dogs were never sold; they were only given as gifts or stolen by Nomadic tribes (“Brief”). In 1922, Dr. Agnes R. H. Greig, an English surgeon practicing medicine in Northern India, saved a Tibetan woman’s life and was given a female Tibetan Terrier puppy in gratitude of this. The little puppy delighted Greig. She found her to be a beautiful animal and requested to handle her at the Delhi Show in India. The judges at the show were fascinated by this puppy, never seeing anything quite like her before. They suggested that the doctor go back to the breeder to get a male Tibetan Terrier and mate them, allowing the opportunity to see whether the breeding produced the same type of dog that she was given. Dr. Greig followed their advice and on Christmas day in 1924, her first litter of Tibetan Terriers was born. After three generations of breeding, the doctor showed the dogs she had produced to the judges at the Delhi Show, and they concluded that this was in fact a pure breed. When Dr. Greig went back to England, she took her Tibetan Terriers with her and showed one at the world famous Crufts Dog Show in London. In doing so, she produced the first English Champion Tibetan Terrier in the history of the breed. She continued producing Tibetan Terriers in England and is now given credit for starting this spectacular breed (“History”). It was not until 1956 that the Tibetan Terrier would reach the United States of America. A doctor and his wife, Dr. and Mrs. Alice Murphy, from Virginia were officially the first people to bring a Tibetan Terrier to the United States. They contacted Dr. Greig in England and imported a bitch, the proper name for a female dog, named “Gremlin Cortina,” also known as “Girlie.” Soon after the arrival of their first Tibetan Terrier, the Murphy’s imported their second which was a male named “Kalai of Lamleh.” These two dogs were bred to create the first official litter of Tibetan Terriers born in the United States in March of 1957. Later that year, Alice Murphy helped create the Tibetan Terrier Club of America. She became the president of the club and worked hard to try to make the Tibetan Terrier an AKC, American Kennel Club, registered breed. In 1963, the AKC granted permission for the Tibetan Terrier to be shown in the Miscellaneous class. This class is for all breeds that have not become officially recognized yet, but are being considered for acceptance into the American Kennel Club. Finally in 1973, the breed was welcomed into the American Kennel Club and, after much hard work, was officially considered an AKC recognized breed (Tibetan). The name given to the breed is actually incorrect. The Tibetan Terrier was originally known as the Lhasa Terrier. They received this name by the Kennel Club of India in the 1920’s. When Greig returned home to England, the kennel club of England also recognized the breed as Lhasa Terriers. It was not until the 1930’s that the breed would finally become Tibetan Terriers, but even this is not correct (“Brief”). The “Terrier” part of the name is a misnomer. This half of the name is improper for the breed because they lack the proper stance, do not burrow in the ground, and do not have an overbearing, aggressive temperament like terriers. They were given this name entirely based on the fact that they were similar in size to terrier breeds. The Tibetan Terrier is a medium sized, squarely proportioned dog. It should weigh between eighteen and thirty pounds and remain between fourteen and seventeen inches at the withers. The withers can be located near the shoulders, at the base of the neck. There should be an equal distance from the root of the tail to the point of the shoulders as from the highest point of withers to the ground. This equality provides for the square, proportioned look. The eyes must be a shade of brown, preferably darker. The Tibetan Terrier is abundant in coat, which consists of two layers. The undercoat should be soft and woolly. The outer coat must be profuse and human-like, remaining neither silky nor woolly. It may be either wavy or straight, and almost any color is acceptable. The only color which is incorrect for this breed is a true chocolate. This is a deep brown color which produces a similar dark brown pigmentation. The coat should be very long, but not exceedingly so. When standing on a flat surface, there should be a space between the bottom of the full grown coat and the ground. It is a huge fault to cut the hair on this breed, unless it is between the pads of the feet for health and safety reasons. The Tibetan Terrier’s feet are what set this breed apart from all others. They must be large, flat, and round in shape and have thick, strong pads. This provides for good traction in bad weather conditions, mainly for helping them get around in the snowy regions of their native country, Tibet. Their feet are a unique characteristic of the breed‘s true heritage and must be present in any Tibetan Terrier (Official). A sound, or well put together, Tibetan Terrier moves with every part of its figure working together to make an effortless, lengthy stride. The American Kennel Club defines gait as “The pattern of footsteps at various rates of speed, each pattern distinguished by a particular rhythm and footfall” (“AKC”). This definition is very broad. Usually when discussing a dog’s gait, a person refers to their ability to move in a show ring, not just in every day life. Any time that a Tibetan Terrier moves in any form, it should be very obvious whether that particular dog is sound or not. The gait should show of the dog’s ability to move without effort. A Tibetan that seems to fumble around, side step, or be wobbly in any manner shows improper gait for this breed’s correct type. When pressing on a Tibetan Terrier’s top line, it should not move or collapse, which shows proper balance for this breed. The worst faults for a Tibetan Terrier in a show ring are the ones that are very obvious to any person, experienced or not. These can include toeing in or out, crossing over of the front legs, paddling (basically a throwing outward motion of the front legs), and any throwing of the back legs. Improper movement is most commonly based on where the shoulders are placed. Straight shoulders cause a hackney gait, which can be described as a very high step in the front legs. This type is proper for some breeds, but for Tibetan Terriers, it is extreme exaggeration of correct movement (Reif, Reflections 53). Gait is very important in identifying the quality of a dog; it should always be a factor to consider when deciding whether a dog is healthy or not. Smaller dogs generally live to an older age than larger dogs because they do not suffer as many health problems due to the large dogs’ size. The larger the dog, the more pressure that will constantly be placed on their joints and bones, which will cause them to wear down more quickly. The smaller dog also has an advantage over the larger dog for that fact that the smaller dogs’ hearts do not have to work as hard to pump blood through such a large body, so it does not wear out as quickly. The average life span of these smaller dogs, which includes the Tibetan Terrier, is fourteen or fifteen years. Many Tibetans are known to live even longer than that, some up to and beyond seventeen years (“Life“). The Tibetan Terrier is very intelligent. They are wise in the way that they live their lives, taking in every detail of the way humans live and acting in a similar manner. The breed is very sensitive and loyal; they will not stray from their owners’ side. They are not afraid of other dogs, no matter how large or small, and will defend their owner under any circumstance. They do not react well with other animals, but people of all ages are welcomed into their lives, remaining tolerant of little children and adapting to any environment. They are wary of strangers, but never in an aggressive manner (Reif, Tibetan 74). The AKC standard states: “The Tibetan Terrier is highly intelligent, sensitive, loyal, devoted, and affectionate. The breed may be cautious or reserved. Fault -- Extreme shyness” (Official). The Tibetan Terrier should behave in this manner, as this is what the AKC has decided upon being proper for this particular breed. Even though the Tibetan Terrier is still considered a new breed, many people are starting to take great interest in these “little people.” This particular breed is very agile, and these dogs love to please their owners; these qualities combine to make the Tibetan Terrier a great candidate for all kinds of dog sports. They are great in obedience trials because of their intelligence. An obedience trial is simply a display of an owner’s ability to make their dog follow commands off leash. There are many different levels of obedience trials, starting out with the basics. As each trial is completed the dog is scored, and works at moving on to the next class. By completing levels the dog can earn titles; some obedience titles include Companion Dog (CD), Companion Dog Excellent (CDX), Utility Dog (UD), and Tracking Degree (TD). Tibetan Terriers are also great at Flyball, which is becoming increasingly more common. Flyball is a sport which consists of multiple teams, each team with four dogs. The smallest dog sets the height for the hurdles, so one smaller dog is usually gladly welcomed onto the team. Each dog on the team dashes over the hurdles toward the ball box. Once at this box, they trigger it with their paw causing it to release a tennis ball. The dog grabs the ball and races back over the hurdles toward their owner at the end. The first team to have all dogs complete this task, successfully, wins. Tibetans are especially good at this sport because they are extremely intelligent and very quick. Another sport which Tibetans love to compete in is agility. An agility trial is a test of a dog’s ability to maneuver through long tunnels, climb up and down an A-frame, go through tire jumps, slide through weave poles, and many more tasks. Tibetans absolutely love agility and are extremely good at it. They are so quick and fearless that when given the opportunity to zip through a course at full speed, they are more than happy to take it! Also, Tibetans excel in the conformation ring. Conformation is a hobby for most people in which gorgeous, well-bred dogs gather together to compete for Best In Show. Dogs start out by competing amongst their own breed for Best of Breed. Once this dog is chosen, it goes on to compete against other breeds that have been chosen to be placed in any of seven groups. These groups include Sporting, Non-Sporting (the Tibetan Terrier’s group), Herding, Working, Terrier, Toy, and Hound. The winner of each group then goes on to compete for Best In Show. The winner of this coveted name is given a large, red, white, and blue rosette and various other prizes. Tibetan Terriers started out unable to win very often in the conformation ring because they were not well-known, but now they are often seen standing proud, as the Best In Show winner. The Tibetan Terrier is a very versatile dog and will continue to be found in these, and many more, popular dog sports today (Reif, Tibetan 110-126). In conclusion, the Tibetan Terrier is a phenomenal breed which is becoming increasingly popular. These dogs make fabulous every day pets or great competitors. As this breed evolves, they will have many uses because of all their great qualities. Not many breeds can be noted as loving, loyal, kind, protective, competitive, quick, agile, and intelligent. Evolving from good luck charms to winners of many competitions, these dogs have already come such a long way. Such a unique, marvelous breed deserves to be noticed and remembered for all the good things they can do. Back to the Home Page! |
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